Las Vegas Metro Development News

[dragonsky]

Raiders owner willing to spend $500 million on move to Las Vegas

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said today he was serious about moving his team to Las Vegas and offered a half-billion-dollar pledge for a proposed $1.4 billion, 65,000-seat domed football stadium.

Davis told an influential tourism committee gathered at UNLV that the Raiders would put up $500 million toward the stadium if Nevada legislators approve public funding for the project and other NFL owners allow the team to relocate.

Those significant obstacles would remain in the way of the stadium project, even after it’s been thoroughly vetted by the tourism panel.

“We do want to be your partners. We’re not coming in looking for a free handout,” Davis said. “I want to tell you what I told Gov. Sandoval a few weeks ago: Together, we can turn the Silver State into the Silver and Black State.”

Overall, the stadium would be paid for with $750 million in public money and $650 million in private funds, backers told the 11-member committee of leaders from Nevada’s public and private sectors.

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/apr...kers-go-befor/

[dragonsky]

Steve Wynn says Las Vegas should get ready for Raiders

By NORM CLARKE
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Billionaire Steve Wynn quietly has been taking on a power-broker role to help bring the NFL to Las Vegas.

Addressing his involvement for the first time during a red carpet event Friday, Wynn revealed he’s met with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis and two influential NFL owners, Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and Stan Kroenke, who recently moved his St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles.

Wynn said Las Vegas has to be ready if the opportunity presents itself.

“If the NFL says, ‘If you want to move to Las Vegas, Raiders, you can,’ then we’ve got to spring into action and we’ve got to come up with a program.

“I just thought it would be a great thing for the town, don’t you agree?”

I asked Wynn if he was partnering with Adelson.

“Well,” said Wynn, “Sheldon and I are both very strong supporters of it, and how it plays out is something we’ve got to see.

“We haven’t been down to the nitty gritty of it because, first of all, do the owners believe this is OK?” he added. “Their attitude toward the relationship with sports and gaming has changed. They’re having two games in London, where the entire audience can bet play by play, and the NFL is going to London and the audience is participating in that.

“So there’s been a sea change in the NFL’s attitude, at least based upon the London games,” Wynn continued. “It’s not hypocritical. I think they’re in a state of change. How that plays out with us is interesting.”

Wynn emphasized that “the one thing that Las Vegas should have in its arsenal that’s missing is a great stadium and an NFL team,” he said.

Davis “is dying to do it. He came to see me and Sheldon (Adelson). He made the rounds. He wanted to make sure there was local support.”

“Now financing these puppies is no small thing. How that plays out. … I went to dinner last week with Jerry Jones and Stan Kroenke and got into the conversation how Jerry did Cowboys [AT&T] Stadium.

“It’s a lamination of several different types of layers of financing,” Wynn said, “and we’re going to have to focus on that if there’s local support. Let me put it this way: If there’s a will, there’s a way.

“The question is if you can get 24 of 32 owners to agree,” Wynn said of the league support required to relocate an NFL franchise. “So there’s two strategies here: to get the others to think it’s OK, at least 24 out of 32, and secondly develop a strategy for financing,” he said.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion...-ready-raiders

[dragonsky]

Goodell, NFL might be warming up to gambling

The first real sign of Goodell softening his anti-gambling stance and possibly warming up to Las Vegas was evident last week, when he was grilled again about the Raiders’ potential move to a proposed $1.4 billion stadium on the Strip. This time, his answer changed.

“All of us have evolved a little on gambling,” Goodell said. “To me, where I cross the line is anything that can impact the integrity of the game. If people think it is something that can influence the outcome of a game, we are absolutely opposed to that.”

The first part of his statement indicates an overdue breakthrough. Goodell’s opinion of legal sports betting is outdated, and the league’s relationship with gambling is hypocritical, and maybe he’s finally ready to admit it and open his mind.

The second part of Goodell’s statement hints at an absurd, archaic belief that gambling rats could be running around Las Vegas trying to influence professional players to fix games. In another era, say the 1970s, that paranoia might have been justified.

There is no reason for the NFL to fear and loathe Las Vegas now. The NHL is prepared to put an expansion franchise here, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has stepped forward as an outspoken proponent of the values of fan involvement in legal, regulated wagering and fantasy sports.

Las Vegas is a world-class city with almost everything but a state-of-the-art stadium. The benefits of a stadium for an NFL franchise and other big events are undeniable. The financing plan needs more scrutiny. But it should get built, and if it does, there’s not much that could stop the Raiders from coming.

Owners should realize Las Vegas will create more appeal and generate more revenue for the NFL than Oakland, and the league wants the second spot in Los Angeles to remain open as leverage for stadium negotiations in other cities. The league needs the Chargers to stay in San Diego, and the league will be better off if the Raiders are in Las Vegas.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion...rming-gambling

[dragonsky]

Monorail to use interest money to kick-start expansion to Mandalay Bay

“We would use those funds in a very measured way, in a very deliberate way,” Curtis Myles, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Monorail, told the commission April 5. Myles said the expansion had been in the works for three years and the Monorail Co. had done extensive analysis of ridership.

In 2015, Myles told members of the International Monorail Association that extending from the existing MGM Grand terminus to Mandalay Bay would cost an estimated $100 million. He said the project would mean a new station and two new trains.

Reisman said the company is focused on a Mandalay extension because it’s confident ridership will support the move. The change would mean going from connecting passengers to 26,000 hotel rooms to 35,000, she said.

As to an extension to McCarran International Airport, which is the question everyone has whenever the monorail comes up, Reisman said it hadn’t been ruled out but wasn’t an immediate focus.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...n-mandalay-bay

[dragonsky]

Resorts World construction to ramp up this year, finish in 2019

Appearing before the Nevada Gaming Control Board almost exactly a year after the project held its ceremonial groundbreaking, Resorts World General Counsel Gerald Gardner said construction would get underway in earnest in the fourth quarter, with site activity starting to ramp up this summer.

Gardner said construction of the Chinese-themed resort should be finished in early 2019. Project officials had previously said it would open in 2018.

In an interview after his remarks to the board, Gardner, a former chief of staff to Gov. Brian Sandoval, attributed the delay to ongoing work on a “complex design.” He said struggles in the Chinese economy and with Malaysian currency had also affected the timeline.

But officials with Malaysia-based Genting Group, the project’s developer, said today the company was in a strong financial position.

http://vegasinc.com/business/gaming/...-this-year-fi/

[dragonsky]

Steve Wynn plans ‘fantasy island’ in Crystal Lagoons beachfront paradise

Hotel tycoon Steve Wynn plans a centerpiece “fantasy island” in the new Crystal Lagoons beachfront paradise he is building from his Wynn and Encore golf club. Steve told me that he’d been up nights unable to sleep trying to deal with the “problem of scale” at the 38-acre lagoon.

Steve thinks he’s now solved it with another entertainment attraction within the overall 130-acre entertainment attraction, hotel, casino, nightlife and restaurant zone behind Wynn and Encore.

Steve met Monday night in Los Angeles with his Disney-centric team of designers led by Miami-based Crystal Lagoons and WET Design, the California company that created Steve’s Bellagio Fountains and also the world’s largest performing fountain in Dubai.

Steve told me his fantasy island would be the centerpiece of the attraction with daytime and nighttime entertainment elements:

“Robin, you and I will go waterskiing or parasailing. The lagoon will be about the size of almost 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools or 30 football fields,” laughed Steve.

“I want the crystal-clear waters and white sand beaches to remind of the South of France. There will be windsurfing, sailing, swimming and paddle boarding.

“The issue of scale, though, was making me lose sleep until I came up with the fantasy island concept. We’ll be able to stage shows out there. Guests will be able to get married there.

“We can have caves where entertainers pop in and out of with little shows. We’ll have a tunnel to use underwater to let staff and supplies get there and back easily, but guests can paddle out to it.

http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2...al-lagoons-be/

[dragonsky]

Steve Wynn now says planned lake will include 10-story island
First-quarter revenue drops at Wynn Resorts

The company has big plans for its business in Las Vegas. CEO Steve Wynn recently revealed that he wants to develop a huge lake attraction, along with an additional hotel tower, meeting space and more, on land that currently houses the golf course behind his Strip resorts.

Wynn today shed more light on that proposal, tentatively titled Wynn Paradise Park, on a conference call with analysts.

Reiterating that the project still needed approval from his company’s board of directors, Wynn said the vision had changed a bit since he first unveiled the plans in early April. He elaborated on some of the details of what he envisioned.

The casino mogul said the lake had been extended some 600 feet and that in the middle of it would be “a mountain, an island” eight to ten stories tall featuring “irregular topography” and twin peaks connected by a rope bridge.

He also spoke of “cabanas and other special effects platforms” built into the side, a “beach bar with white sand,” ferries in the lake and zip lines.

Wynn said that at its current phase, the creative process for a project like Paradise Park was “very dynamic” and changing “on a weekly basis.” He said cost per foot would be resolved as ideas were fleshed out, but he indicated that his company had grand ambitions for the development.

“We’re not just building a body of water with a promenade around the edge — the American public has seen that before,” Wynn said. “When we do something here, we do something that hasn’t been seen before.”

http://vegasinc.com/news/2016/may/05...0-story-islan/

[dragonsky]

Construction Continues on Lucky Dragon

Backers of the Lucky Dragon resort under construction just off the north end of the Strip say the project is fully financed and on track to open later this year.

http://vegasinc.com/news/2016/may/05...ll-be-finishe/

[dragonsky]

Helldorado Days grabs bull by horns with PBR partnership

Helldorado Days has been around since 1934, but this year it won’t be putting on the festivities alone.

The Professional Bull Riders will team with the historic event to put on the three-day show starting Friday and ending May 15.

PBR’s “Last Cowboy Standing” will headline the festival Friday and Saturday. The annual rodeo is scheduled to run during the three days.

“Took about five years to get everybody lined up,” said PBR CEO Sean Gleason about merging with Helldorado Days. “We were able to talk to the Las Vegas Centennial Committee and Mayor (Carolyn) Goodman, and we were able to work out a deal to bring those two brands together and manage the event portion of all the Helldorado Days. This makes it a big western lifestyle weekend event.”

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...br-partnership

[JMK]

haven't visited the las vegas thread for a while, thanks Dragonsky for all the posts and updates on LV

[dragonsky]

NFL owner says Las Vegas is tough sell but not impossible for Raiders

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told ESPN that Las Vegas is “one of the real crown jewels of communities in the United States.”

Speaking at a sponsors’ golf tournament at Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, Texas, Jones would not discuss which club he would like to see test the market.

“It has a flair for entertainment, and it has two million people, and they’re avid sports fans, the full-time residents,” Jones said. “They have a huge visiting contingent that more often than not are fans of some NFL football teams. You add all that together, and it’s certainly in a conversation about the future relative to the NFL.

“As you well know, you have to have the right situation. You have to have the right ownership, want to and then a lot of other considerations that have to come into play. For me, I think that certainly the fact that Las Vegas has a gambling aspect to it is far overshadowed by the entertainment value, if you will, family appeal, that you have, the convention appeal. So it does not have disfavor with me, in my opinion, relative to being an NFL city.”

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...ssible-raiders

[dragonsky]

Golfers can tee off at Topgolf in Las Vegas beginning Thursday

Topgolf Las Vegas, located at 4627 Koval Lane behind the MGM Grand, boasts 108 climate-controlled hitting bays, two pools, cabanas, a concert venue, VIP suites, five bars, special-event spaces, a comfort food-inspired menu with creative beverage offerings, a Callaway Fitting Studio and a Topgolf retail shop. It spans four levels and 105,000 square feet.

At the heart of Topgolf, guests will find interactive golf games in the hitting bays that can host up to six players at one time, featuring lounge-style seating and HDTVs. Golf games can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels, tracking the accuracy and distance of players’ shots through Topgolf’s microchipped balls.

“When the whole building is full, three-quarters of our guests aren’t playing golf — that’s why it’s such a different entertainment experience,” he said. “In surveys we’ve done, we’ve found that 70 percent of our guests don’t play golf. We try to make golf very approachable and non-intimidating.”

The venue is expected to serve upward of 1 million guests in its first year of operation. More than 850 full- and part-time employees have already been hired. It operates Sunday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. Bay pricing starts at $30 per hour for up to six players and varies depending on bay location and time of day.

General admission is free.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...hursday-photos

[dragonsky]

Crowds swarm new IKEA store in Las Vegas on opening day
http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...as-opening-day

[dragonsky]

Las Vegas Sands partnership to build 17,500-seat off-Strip concert hall

Some of the top players in the entertainment industry will partner with Las Vegas Sands Corp. to build a 17,500-seat off-Strip venue designed specifically for live music performances.

Sands and The Madison Square Garden Co. said Wednesday they would collaborate with Azoff MSG Entertainment, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Oak View Group to build what they call “a first-of-its-kind, large-scale venue that will re-define the live music and entertainment experience.”

The partners said the venue will be the world’s largest built primarily for music. Seating will be shaped like a horseshoe, allowing everyone a direct view of the massive stage. Boxing and mixed martial arts events might be held there, but not team sports such as basketball and hockey.

The 400,000-square-foot facility will be built on an open-air storage lot at Sands Avenue between Koval Lane and Manhattan Street. Officials said construction would begin as soon they get the necessary permits, which is expected to take at least three or four months. Construction would take 18 to 24 months, they said.

The concert hall will emphasize superior acoustics, and state-of-the-art technology will be used throughout the building. Clubs and lounges within the venue are expected to enhance the VIP experience.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...p-concert-hall

[dragonsky]

Groundbreaking held for new Moulin Rouge Las Vegas

Officials for Moulin Rouge Holdings held a groundbreaking on Tuesday for the new Moulin Rouge Las Vegas.

The project is located at 900 W. Bonanza Road.

The date was chosen since the original Moulin Rouge opened on May 24, 1955, as the only integrated hotel and casino in the United States, officials said in a statement.

The budget for the development is between $100 million and $150 million.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...s-vegas-photos

[dragonsky]

Mark Davis ‘very optimistic’ about Las Vegas

“This is the real deal. If Las Vegas can come through, we’re going to be there. I made a commitment.”

Jerry Jones is a gambling man, and the owner of the Dallas Cowboys sent a speculative message with a more positive tone. When asked if the league’s owners are open to exploring Las Vegas as an NFL city, Jones said, “Simply, yes.”The budget for the development is between $100 million and $150 million.

“I just think the obvious, that Las Vegas is a very attractive place,” Jones said. “It’s one of our nation’s real jewels, it’s an asset, it’s unique, it’s American. And all of that, in my eyes, is what the NFL aspires to be associated with. It’s a great entertainment environment, and I think that far overshadows any issue to do with gambling.

“We had discussions about Vegas. We had no pushback in any kinds of discussions. With the Raiders certainly having the interest that they have and being the iconic team they are, for them to be thinking about going to Las Vegas really fits.”

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...s-raiders-move

[mdpx]

I think the biggest issue here is who cuts this guy's hair?

[a very long weekend]

found this video that shows (at 11s) the alignment of the mandalay bay monorail extension.
http://www.civilfx.com/work/las-vega...bay-extension/

also worth noting - they'll be building a new monorail station at the sands expo, right at where the new performance facility is set to go in.

[dragonsky]

Old Riviera site pitched for proposed NFL stadium

A top Las Vegas Sands Corp. executive said today that the proposed 65,000-seat football stadium his company is pushing for may end up being built on the Strip.

When plans for the stadium that could house an NFL team were first unveiled, discussions centered on a 42-acre site on Tropicana Avenue owned by UNLV. But Rob Goldstein, Sands’ president and chief operating officer, told tourism leaders today that the Tropicana site appears to be “disappearing as an option.”

Concerns about that site, located near Koval Lane, include its proximity to McCarran International Airport and traffic in the area.

Appearing before the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee, Goldstein today mentioned two possible locations on the Strip: land near SLS Las Vegas and the site of the shuttered Riviera hotel, which is where the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority plans to expand its convention space. The site of Cashman Field in downtown Las Vegas is another option.

Goldstein made it clear that all possibilities remain on the table, and he said the stadium backers aren’t committed to any particular location right now. He called the Riviera location “a great site” but was also receptive to the other opportunities on the Strip and downtown.

http://vegasinc.com/business/2016/ma...d-nfl-stadium/

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Committee hears financing details, timeline for domed stadium that could lure Raiders to Las Vegas

The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on Thursday dug into the details of a complex financial proposal to build a $1.4 billion domed stadium that could lure the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas.

The board spent about three hours examining a public-private project that would use $750 million in hotel room tax revenue as the public’s stake in the project. The proposal was presented to the committee by a partnership comprising casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp., Majestic Realty and the Raiders.

Committee members took the information under advisement for further study as they move toward issuing recommendations at meetings in June and July. Those recommendations, due at the end of July, are nonbinding and would be forwarded to Gov. Brian Sandoval for possible consideration by the Nevada Legislature.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...re-raiders-las